Hoisin Chicken

Five ingredients. Thirty minutes of marinating. A hot grill. That’s the entire game plan for this chicken breast recipe, and the result punches well above its weight.

Hoisin sauce is the star, bringing its signature sweet-salty-slightly-funky depth that caramelizes beautifully over high heat. Rice wine adds acidity that tenderizes the meat, olive oil keeps things moist on the grill, and fresh thyme is the unexpected addition that bridges the Chinese hoisin with a more Western herbal note. It works surprisingly well.

The key here is speed on the grill. Hoisin is loaded with sugar, and sugar burns fast. You want a hot grill, quick searing on both sides, and then off the heat before the sugars go from caramelized to charred.

Kitchen Tips

• Marinate for 30 minutes at room temperature or up to an hour in the fridge. Longer than that and the acid in the rice wine starts breaking down the surface of the chicken, making it mushy.
• Bring refrigerated chicken to room temp before grilling. Cold chicken on a hot grill cooks unevenly and the outside chars before the inside is done.
• Watch the grill closely. The sugars in hoisin sauce burn fast, so the window between perfectly caramelized and blackened is narrow.
• Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes after grilling. Cutting in immediately lets all the juices run out.

Variations

• Hoisin-ginger: Add a tablespoon of grated fresh ginger to the marinade for a warmer, spicier flavor.
• Lettuce wraps: Slice the grilled chicken and serve in butter lettuce cups with shredded carrots and a drizzle of extra hoisin.